US Records Over 400 Mass Shootings So Far in 2023

WASHINGTON, DC (IANS) – Nine mass shootings occurred across the US over the last weekend, bringing the total to more than 400 this year, according to a website that tracks firearm deaths and injuries.

As of July 23, the nine mass shootings led to at least four deaths and 35 injuries, according to the latest data from the Gun Violence Archive. The website defines a mass shooting as an event with at least four victims either injured or killed, not including the shooter.

According to the data, the website recorded 404 mass shootings as of July 23 since the start of 2023, which left at least 453 people dead. The data is collected or validated from 7,500 sources daily.

Among those killed, some 161 children were under the age of 12, and nearly 400 other children had been injured in mass shootings so far this year, according to the anti-gun violence group.

The number of mass shootings was 9 percent higher than the previous year.

As of July 23, 2022, there were 365 mass shootings, and that year saw a total of 647 mass shootings across the country.

The increase confirms a rising trend of mass shootings in the US.

In 2016, the country reported 383 mass shootings.

The last three years all surpassed 600, with 2021 registering the largest number of mass shootings, totaling 690, according to the Gun Violence Archive.